NSA Sued By Unusual Coalition Of Gun Rights And Environmental Activists Over 'Dragnet Surveillance'

Source: Huffington Post

Nearly two dozen political and religious groups from across the ideological spectrum, including the CalGuns Foundation and Greenpeace, sued the National Security Agency in federal district court on Tuesday. The civil lawsuit challenges the spy agency's authority to harvest and store phone records.

The suit was filed in San Francisco federal district court and was brought by the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a digital rights advocacy group and law firm. It asserts that the NSA's "dragnet surveillance" -- which extends to millions of Americans -- is illegal and unconstitutional.

Other organizations, including the American Civil Liberties Union, have also recently filed suit against the NSA in response to leaked information on its surveillance programs. This most recent case is notable in that it represents a broad coalition of groups that often don't have much use for each other.

Plaintiffs include GreenPeace, Human Rights Watch and the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws. CalGuns, which lobbies against more restrictive gun laws, and one California gun manufacturer, Franklin Armory, have also joined the case, as have religious groups including the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/16/nsa-sued-dragnet-surveillance_n_3605104.html